ARGH, damn businesses

**Sniper** · 28th June 2006, 12:06

Had a rather frustrating conversation with a well known buisiness that shall remain unnamed due to privacy reasons (Yay). But what would you do in a situation like this....

You ring up and hire a cherry picker for a half day to put up some flags and other bits and peices. They tell you they will give you a 12m working height one for the 8m electric price but they will need to deliver it because it weighs 5tonnes due to the hydraulic jacks because Im working on unstable ground. You get quoted the TOTAL price of $255.50 incl GST and insurance.

The next day the thing gets here and you ring up again to check the price because this thing is farking huge. Again the total price is $255.50 incl everything..........

End of the month rolls round and an invoice lands on my desk for the total of $355.50.... "Hmmmm, this aint right.", thinks I. On the invoice is an extra $100 for freight? So I ring up again to ask the total cost and get $355.50. So I argue the point stressing where he said $255.50 and at no point in time was freight included nor mentioned anywhere.
So this carries on backwards and forwards where he is telling me that he gave me a discount and was friendly and Im arguing the point that I dont care, he cannot just go and add on $100 worth of charges willy nilly, not when Im in charge and Im likely to get strung up by the balls by the big-boss when he finds out that its going to cost 3 times as much as last time.

In the end, the best he says he can do without the bosses go ahead is take $50 off. So I told him that there will be a cheque in the mail for $255.50 and no more because I was quoted that and the phone recording software (which hasnt really been setup yet [Hmmm, must get round to that] but he didnt need to know) can prove it.

Would you pay the $299.50 (Now after he said he would take some freight off) or would you tell them to shove it and pay what you were quoted?

**GR81** · 28th June 2006, 12:11

did you not get an invoice when the thing arrived?

did you not "hire the experience..." ? haha

**Sniper** · 28th June 2006, 12:13

Originally Posted by GR81

did you not get an invoice when the thing arrived?

Nope, they sent it at the end of the month

**GR81** · 28th June 2006, 12:16

not much you can do apart from pay the $255 and argue until the cows come home lol
they will give up eventually.

**WRT** · 28th June 2006, 12:20

I had a similar problem with the bike shop I got the Aprilia off. Got the exhausts fitted shortly after purchase, originally the exhausts were supposed to be opened up as part of the purchase price but that plan couldnt go ahead, so after market ones were sourced. I was quoted a total price that was minus labour to make up for the original stuff up. Confirmed the price several times (this is with one of the owners of the business, not just the guy behind the counter) and the deal seemed the best way out of the situation so I went ahead with it. When I went to pick the bike up after fitting, labour had been added. Had no choice but to pay the extra (his word against mine and I needed my bike to get home), so I paid up and vowed never to give that shop another cent as this wasnt the first time they had reneged on parts of the deal.

**Drum** · 28th June 2006, 12:24

Privacy my arse! Name and shame. Its your right as a consumer.

**Sniper** · 28th June 2006, 12:28

Dont want an overzealous company owner to get upset and cause hassels with KB Drum, but check your rep

**Biohazard** · 28th June 2006, 12:32

Personally tell em to kiss your

. Alot of people have had similar experiences, which are not worth going into atm. The main point is that they are trying to get additional revenue, by tagging on additional (not quoted/unconfirmed) charges.

Just threaten the little sods with deception (or simialr), they are just trying it on. At the end of the day you have had your use out of them and they are the ones that need to tread carefully to get payment for the outstanding invoice, they wont tie you up with littigation as it will take forever and a day to get the monies paid.

Hope it makes sense...in other words tell 'em to nick off.

**GR81** · 28th June 2006, 12:34

send round some of your big Afrikaans mates!

**Zukin** · 28th June 2006, 12:37

Hey

I would only pay the orginal agreed amount, it was a contract (verbal).
They need to ensure all costs associated are included up front.

EG Air NZ advertising "cheap" airfares a while back, and not mentioning all the taxes and surcharges! They got taken to task by the commerce commisson.

So if they still arent happy, send them an invoice for a consultancy fee of $100, and then wait for them to call and say, OH Sorry I forgot to say that each time I talk to you I charge you $50, sorry I forgot to mention that!!

My thoughts

**Motu** · 28th June 2006, 12:40

How big is their company,and how big is your company? - if they are much bigger than you,they will collect the debt....if you are bigger than them,you just ignore them.

As a minion it's your job to know whether freight was included in the hire....there is a point where this will be mentioned,have your excuse ready...and no,your excuse is not to blame someone else.

The buck stops where?????

**Squeak the Rat** · 28th June 2006, 13:36

Was this a personal or business transaction?

Something you might want to consider trying, and hope for their ignorance of law...... if you send a cheque stating it is full and final payment, AND they bank it then they have accepted the terms and you legally owe no more money.

If they choose to contest it then you can look at other actions (small claims court perhaps).

Or paying the $50 might be less hassle. Personally I'd flick them the bird. Remember to keep copies or records of correspondance...

**Colapop** · 28th June 2006, 13:38

Paying the extra wouldn't be hassle until you back to hire it again (perhaps) and got overcharged again. If you're in business and you've given a quote then stick to it. There are other companies that you could spend your money with.

**Sniper** · 28th June 2006, 13:45

Just had another conversation with him and then his boss. Seems that he wasnt going to charge me freight until his boss got a bit iffy about no freight plus a discounted rate for a half day hire and he had to sort it out with me somehow. Unfortunatly his idea of sorting it was adding it to the invoice and hoping for me not to notice.

Now its a matter of me chatting to his boss and sorting it.

**Biltong** · 28th June 2006, 15:45

Originally Posted by Sniper

Just had another conversation with him and then his boss. Seems that he wasnt going to charge me freight until his boss got a bit iffy about no freight plus a discounted rate for a half day hire and he had to sort it out with me somehow. Unfortunatly his idea of sorting it was adding it to the invoice and hoping for me not to notice.

Now its a matter of me chatting to his boss and sorting it.

I have a solution for your problem, take the freight charges and count it out in cash on a table, then you take a photo of the cash and you mail the photo to the guy. Then you call him and tell him that you are sending him "the money" in the mail(you are telling the truth because you are sending him the money, it's just a photo of the money, but you are sending him the money!). Then sit back and wait and see what happens.